#underrated joys

[thexfridax]

D.E.B.S. at 20: a Queer Cult Classic

Bessie Yuill Photo: Sundance/WireImage

There is a secret film hidden within the shadowy sapphic corners of Letterboxd. Some call it escapist trash, some call it an underrated cult classic, fools call it a male fantasy. It calls itself D.E.B.S. As other early-2000s chick flicks like Charlie’s Angels and St. Trinian’s have been reevaluated and embraced for their candy-floss aesthetics and campy wit over the years, the lesbian community was quietly reclaiming its own equivalent with 2004’s D.E.B.S.

The precursor to contemporary high-concept lesbian films like Bottoms, the spy flick is filled with something that queer female moviegoers still often yearn for: fun. That includes Jordana Brewster and her era-defying eyebrows as the impeccably named supervillain Lucy Diamond, John Woo–style fight scenes that parody the action genre in the same way as Charlie’s Angels, and a cheerfully cheap aesthetic where spies run around in plaid schoolgirl skirts.

D.E.B.S. was written, directed, and edited by filmmaker Angela Robinson. While “unapologetically queer” might be an overused phrase, it does apply neatly to Robinson. The Chicago-born director’s first project was a short film called Chickula: Teenage Vampire, calling on the long history of vampiric queer women that began with 1872’s Carmilla.

Her love of playing with genre led her to later put a lesbian spin on the movie musical by writing the underappreciated Girltrash: All Night Long and exploring polyamory in a period biopic about the creators of Wonder Woman, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. On the small screen, she also burnished her lesbian credentials by working on several episodes of The L Word.

When D.E.B.S. started life as a short film, Robinson described it as “a story about a trio of superspies who are all chicks. I love all the comic-book characters: Charlie’s Angels, Batman, Josie & the Pussycats … But I always wanted them to be gay and they never were, so I wrote my own.” Success at Sundance led to Sony snatching the short up and deciding that D.E.B.S. should be a full-length feature.

Two decades later, the joy of this movie lies in the details. The tone is immediately set by a gravelly voice-over telling us that there is a secret test hidden within the SAT to recruit young female superspies (and establishing that, like Bottoms, this is a film aware of genre archetypes and willing to push believability). Our main character Amy (Sara Foster) is an academic overachiever — like many lesbians overcompensating for their perceived failure to live up to social norms. Her perfect score on the secret SAT test makes it even more scandalous when she falls for the aforementioned supervillain Lucy Diamond.

Queer friend groups may delight over the nostalgic frosty eye shadow and lip gloss worn by the D.E.B.S. (which stands for “discipline, energy, beauty, strength,” naturally) at all times. Flip phones, CGI holographic screens, and Goldfrapp’s appearance on the soundtrack will also remind you that you’re watching a film made in the early 2000s. And many will squeal when they spot Holland Taylor, over a decade before she came out, as the academy’s head.

Admittedly, the special effects are goofy enough to cross over into comedy, especially when our girls are abseiling into a restaurant or climbing walls with plungers, and the lighting could be charitably described as resembling teen soap operas of that era. But the chemistry between Amy and Lucy is crackling enough that YouTube compilations of their scenes have racked up hundreds of thousands of views online. Their fun enemies-to-lovers plotline begins with the pair pointing guns at each other and quickly progresses to a whirlwind romance (the other D.E.B.S. think Amy’s been kidnapped and launch a national manhunt, just as many friend groups have had to organize rescue missions for lesbians on weeklong first dates).

You could argue that espionage serves as a metaphor for the closet and that Amy is such an effective spy because she’s used to lying to herself about her sexuality. But that almost seems like too much weight to put on this meringue confection of a genre spoof: Its campiness liberates the characters to inhabit a fun, exaggerated universe with no serious homophobia or consequences. Guns are used, but the so-called superspies have such consistently terrible aim that there are no real casualties. And Lucy Diamond’s supposedly nefarious crimes are all reversible — the murders pinned on her are revealed to be misunderstandings, and she returns all of her stolen goods in order to win Amy back.

When this live-action Totally Spies with a lesbian twist debuted, it only made $97,000 and was dismissed by critics. But there were enough moviegoing gays impressed by its snappy dialogue, fun romance, and stunning supporting cast (including Meagan Good, Jimmi Simpson, and Devon Aoki with a French accent) for its reputation to grow online over time. In forums and YouTube comment sections, young girls were asking, “Are there any lesbian films where they just fall in love and have fun and don’t die at the end?” Their answer was D.E.B.S.

[casasupernovas]

the way the doctor lets his true feelings about martha show on his face when his face is not visible to her is so...

[acecroft]

JOY RIDE (2001) dir. John Dahl

[quarterprioritymidnight]

🤜😐

[boiledprawn99]

im drawing scrub fan art bro I love these little dudes so much it’s unreal

look at this thing man… full of joyous wonder and cleaning supplies. They got me when nobody else got me

[op15-moonwaltz]

If I had a nickel for every time I babygirled a martin short character named jack I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird it happened twice

[footballandfiasco]

not me forgetting i made this weeks ago I made a part six, y'all!! <3

my favourite underrated germany nt moments, part 6/?

[fakeosirian]

HOUSE OF ANUBIS S02xE43

and bonus:

[clovernment]

they said WHAT

[pricelikesstuff]

📸: @starcuffedjeans

[the0maski]

I’ll be honest with all of you, if the “Dink pushing Wind out of his way saga” doesn’t end with Wind getting his sweet revenge at the end of Lu, what is even the point?

[fearless-franklin]

“This is the price we pay when we love others… You get the wonder, the joy, and all the good times. The memories you’ll never forget. But you get the tears at the end too…”

[waitineedaname]

21. W/ Benrey and Gordon (or Dr. Coomer and Bubby, doesn't really matter)

I kinda remixed your request, but it turned out really funny imo so hopefully that's okay!

prompts here

--

“You!”

Benrey lifted his head up from where it was dangling half off the couch to look at Gordon, who had just stomped into the living room in a fit of frustration. That seemed like pretty typical Gordon behavior to Benrey, so he responded in his own typical fashion. “Huh?” He said, face blank.

“It was you!” Gordon pointed an accusational finger at Benrey, giving him absolutely nothing else to go on. Benrey had no clue what was going on, so he gave Gordon a broad grin and spread his arms, letting his Playstation controller fall to the ground in the process.

“It was me!” He declared, hoping that was the right answer.

“Of course it was. Of course. Only you would do some freak shit like this.” Gordon stormed over to him and tried to look intimidating. Benrey didn’t bother to make himself any less boneless on the couch. “I just have one question, and I’m begging you to give me a straight answer because I am wracking my fucking brains trying to figure this out. Why? Why did you do it?”

“Uh.” Benrey still had no idea what he was being accused of, so he went through his normal list of rationale to figure out what kind of response Gordon was expecting. “Because I’m so cool?” Gordon’s scowl deepened like his eyebrows were trying to tie themselves into a knot, so that probably wasn’t right. Benrey tried again. “Because you’re so sucks?”

“None of that explains why you’d take a bite out of a stick of butter, Benrey!”

Benrey recoiled, only just barely managing to pull himself into an upright sitting position before he fell off the couch entirely. “Eugh! What?”

“That’s what I’m asking!” Gordon threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “Why did you do it?”

“I didn’t do it! That’s fucking nasty, bro!”

“What? Of course you did!” Gordon clearly hadn’t been prepared for that response, but he wasn’t buying it. “Who else would do something weird like that?”

“I dunno!” It was Benrey’s turn to point at Gordon in accusation. “Maybe it was you! Huh? Maybe you did it, Mayonnaise Boy.”

“Why would I do it?!”

“Because you eat gross shit. Like mayonnaise.”

“Dude, there is a world of difference between putting mayo on sandwiches and taking a bite out of a fucking stick of butter!” 

“A likely story.” Benrey fixed him with his best “security guard who knows you pulled some bullshit” glare. “You’re just trying to lead me off the scent. Tryna, tryna red herring me? Is that it? Trying to act like you’re not some kinda butter monster?”

“I’m not! I think that’s what you’re doing!” Gordon poked a finger into Benrey’s chest in a manner that was, quite frankly, rude.

Before their argument could devolve even further, Dr. Coomer strolled into the room. “Ah! Hello, gentlemen! What seems to be the cause of the ruckus?”

“Benrey here won’t own up to taking a bite out of my butter!” Gordon said, like a child snitching on their sibling to their parents. 

“Ah, that reminds me!” Coomer smiled. “Thank you for leaving such a delicious buttery snack in your refrigerator, Gordon!”

There was a long moment of silence as both Gordon and Benrey stared at Coomer, whose smile did not falter. Eventually, Benrey was the one to break the silence, just barely muffling a laugh in his hand. “Oh my god,” He muttered, still laughing softly.

“Dr. Coomer,” Gordon spoke very slowly, as if scared what the answer might be, “Did you take a bite out of the butter in the fridge?”

“Yes! I do love a good old Log Of Butter as an afternoon snack. Though, Gordon, you should probably invest in the unsalted variety. It will be better for you in the long run!” Dr. Coomer’s poker face was impeccable, though his mustache twitched with the hint of humor when that made Benrey laugh so hard he finally fell off the couch entirely.

“Coomer,” Gordon repeated, horrified. “Why?”

“Gordon. I was hungry.”

[othersidedisc]

can't wait until i'm a fabulous old lady. THE DREAM is to be 75 and the best dressed in that entire homegoods.

[girl-afraid1]

this album makes me so happy i love enjoy